Comets, Meteors, and Asteroids

This book tells of the billions of wandering objects, from dust-particles to moon-sized lumps of rock, and of the random but vital roles they play in the drama of our evolving solar system. To human beings on Earth, comets have always been objects of mystery and terror. This fear, once dismissed as superstition, is sometimes justified; comets really can bring catastrophes in their wake. Research show that comets are close relatives of both the space dust which forms meteors or shooting stars, and of the larger, inert rocks -- the asteroids -- which circle the Sun by the millions. Left over from the formation of the solar system, all of these objects have threatened Earth with massive impacts and "nuclear winters." However, they have also been part of the process by which the Solar System renews itself -- we may owe our very existence to the impact that destroyed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The threat of collision with the Earth has placed comets and asteroids at the top of the agenda for astronomers, the public, and, increasingly, for governments. Comets, Meteors, and Asteroids presents a fascinating and insightful exploration of these space wanderers of the cosmos.